The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-06
Eeo,ree Courier.

Ofn Fire which will Become His
tOric.
Eeo,cee Courier.
On Wednesday, the 2lst of June, between 3
and az o'clock a. NJ, fire was discovered In
the ncfghborIlooh of The Court House, and on
reaching the place it was found that the print
ing office, and the law offices OF thompson d
Jaynes and of Keith & Werner were In liShl
blaze. This building was Il two-story wooden
building, with piazza and four rooms below
stairs, and one large room above, in which
the Keo,Uee Courier was published. The build
Ing was the Joint property OF Coils. Thompson
and Keith and was put mp In 1872. The late:
ness of the hour, all being asleep. prevented
any one from reaching the place until too late
to save anything from the building. The mp
pearance of the fire. aS varlouSly reported by
those who first reached It, shows clearly 1t was
OF incendiary origin. 1t was believed 10 have
been set on the East end between the Offices
of Thompson Il Jaynes and Major Dendy. rs
this end was first consumed. Others believe
also 1t was set on fire at both back corners of
the offices OF Thompson & Jaynes and Keith
Il Werner. Apart from the appearance OF the
fire as first seen, the lntencss OF the hour with
the known fact that there was not match In
either for weeks, show conclu>iveiy that the
disaster was the work Of nm inccndiary. The
large amount OF combustlble material In the
law and printing offices created great heat,
and in u short time the law office OF Major
Dendy. twenty feet East, and OF j. W. Shclor,
twenty feet West, and of ii. A. H.. Gibson,
and destroyed. The parties present saved all
the books OF Major Dtndy and his safe and
office chair. but the office furniture was de-
stroyed. The contents of the offices OF Messrs.
Shelor and Gibson were mostly saved.
The strong current of heated mir bore high
up and to a great distance, SPARKS and irng-
ments of blazing paper, some falling three
hundred yards off. The roof Of the Court
was mainly saved by the exertlons OF MIR
o ito Kauimann, aided by q nephew OF Col;
Thompson and Mr.. John Won Hadcln and
one Ashmore, colored. Kaufmann,. seeing
the roof blazing. ran into the attic and with n
pole burst the roof and went OH top, where he
and the others continued to suppress each
starting flame. The roof Of the office OF
Judge Norton, now occupied by his son-in-
law, Maj. Stribbllng, caught on fire several
times, as did also the roof OF four room
building just in rear and owned by ]. y. Yer
were eXtinguished without damage.
The preservation OF the Court House Is due
not only to the fearless conduct Of those who
eXtingulShdd the roof, but also TO the row OF
large oaks which stood between the burning
buildings and the Court House as also the
building of Judge Norton and j. s. Werner.
Apart from these trees the Court House anu
these buildings must have burned, and there
is no telling where the fire would have stop
ped.
The citizens of the town, the fire company,
and a number of coiored men and women
who faithfully carried water, deserve great
praise for their efforts to save the property
and to prevent the spread of the fire. There
was no fire well near, and the fire company
could not effect the good 1t generally does In
the four buildings were doomed before any
one reached the fire, rs they were near to-
gether and dry as tinder.
THE LOSS.
This can never be accurately estimR ted.
Tue property burned may be put down In
a ORIGINAL
over, apportioned as follows: Thompson, In
law books, stationery and furniture S725.
Keith I'm law books, stationery and furniture
furniture s575. The law library lost some
books, say SIS. Thompson halI interest i In
building, at cost, $500. Keith half Interest
in building S thompson Keith tIns smith smith
rial, &C., valued Mt $1,000, making S400 each.
Maj. Dcndy in double room office and furni-
ture $780, Mr. Shelor and Mr.. Gibson In sim
Mr.. Jaynes had recently formed partner
ship withS Col. Thompson, and lost some
books and furniture, but we do not know the
amount.
for less money than they originally cost. but
the difference Is more than made up in things
destroyed, which we cannot Value. For In
stance, Col. Thompson lost his Courier files
from q period long before the war; Keith his
for fourteen years, and the office all the files
since 1863. These to us were invaluable and
now the only eXtant file OF the Courier, so far
as we know. is that kept by Judge Norton,
Then Keith & Werner had burned seventy
or more carefully prepared arguments on oil
important civil and criminal cases In their
hands for fourteen years past. They were Of
great value for easy reference for points and
authorities In new cases germane to those
argued. We presume all the law firms burn
ed out lost their official correspondence, re-
ccipts for money collected, and also all cases
issued to this court or continued over from
previous courts. The C1urier lost all its sub
scription md advertising accounts.
The county lost all the records Of the office
OF County Commissioners from 1868 to the
present.
CAUSE OF TIE FIRE.
Aswc have said 1t was certainly OF incen-
diary origin. In the present burning we do
not believe any living person had, or had
cause to have such feelings OF spite against
any one OF the parties suffering loss, us would
lead to the burning. 1t must have proceeded
from other causes. What are they? We cam
not know. There are number Of theories,
some presenting some motive. The more
common opinion is that the parties who
wrote or had written, or who posted or had
posted, the ScurrilouS letters In West Union,
are the parties who fired or procured the nr-
ing OF tho offices. One Hodge had been ar
rested and lodged In Jail on 4 warrant charg-
Ing him with this dirty work.
Subsequent to his arrest further develop
ments led to public meeting In the Court
House on Monday, the Goth OF June, to cnnsi-
der and advise what was best as to these libel
lous writings. or course there was some
plain talk and from the facts shown, other
parties would be arrested IL nothing more.
Unwisely we think, unfortunately surely,
these facts were talked about generally.
Among the facts was this that near TO the
place Of posting one of the scurrilous letters
was found an old pocket book marked In the
inner side II. X. H." and in the book was
found central slip, two inches wide, torn
from an express package blank receipt. On
the margin of this was written words direct
ing the posting Of letters and 'to put out
your best watch dog" This slip, on its face,
was directed to no one and signed by no one,
but the old express enyelop In which II was
found was directed 10 ESadlcr. This OF course
Sadler and Others since released. Mr.. Jaynes,
of the firm with Col. Thompson, issued the
warrants on which Hunter and Sadlcr were
put In jail on Tuesday, where they now nre.
libel and the burning, reasoning that the par
ties or their friends, learning these tell'tnle
facts, with u desire to destroy them ana tne
Identity of hand writing (bclieved TO eXist)
threatening letter sent to Judge Kershaw
about the Malloy case, the writing found IN
the pocket book marked ~. X. H." and d.
rected to Sadler, and the flendishly scurfllous
letters posted few days before the burning,
determined to burn the office where they rca-
sonably supposed the whole batch of letters
were then deposited.
Another theory, which or may not be link
ed with the other, is that the friends Hodge.
ther in Jail. (no one specially suspectcdJ set
fire to the building in the expectation that in
the excitement of the fire ut The Court House,
the Sheriff and guard would leave the jail,
and then Hodge could be released.
there be anything In ether or or 96th POI
were all at the house of Maj. w. ]: Stribling
and not destroyed, and the Sheriff did not